Film & TV · 1939–2014Richard KielactorDetroit-born giant of the screen, 7 ft 1.5 in tall, best remembered as Jaws, the steel-toothed henchman of two James Bond films.DETROIT / A living lexicon / ¼
Famous Detroiters
People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.
- 1,912 famous people
- 135 Detroit places
- 14 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
43 people
Clear filtersFilm & TV · 1939–2014Richard KielactorDetroit-born giant of the screen, 7 ft 1.5 in tall, best remembered as Jaws, the steel-toothed henchman of two James Bond films.
Press & broadcasting · 1932–2014Casey Kasemradio host, disc jockey, voice actorDetroit-born host of American Top 40 and original voice of Shaggy in Scooby-Doo, who started on the air at Northwestern High and Detroit radio stations.
Science & invention · 1928–2011Jack Kevorkianpathologist, right-to-die activistPontiac-born pathologist who assisted in the deaths of scores of patients in metro Detroit in the 1990s and was convicted of second-degree murder in 1999.
Comedy · born 1971Keegan-Michael Keyactor, comedian, writer, producerCo-creator of Key & Peele who grew up in Detroit, studied theater at the University of Detroit Mercy and co-founded Hamtramck's Planet Ant Theatre.
Film & TV · born 1969Martin Klebbaactor, stunt performerTroy native and Athens High School graduate, best known as the pirate Marty in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
Literature · 1918–1994Russell Kirkpolitical theorist, historian, man of letters, novelistAuthor of The Conservative Mind, a founding text of postwar American conservatism, born and raised in the metro Detroit railroad town of Plymouth.
Science & invention · 1921–2017Isabella Karlechemist, crystallographerDetroit-born chemist whose practical methods for solving X-ray crystal structures transformed chemistry and drug design; a National Medal of Science laureate.
Film & TV · born 1951David Patrick Kellyactor, musician, lyricistDetroit-born character actor, forever Luther of The Warriors, who began writing musicals while studying at the University of Detroit.
Film & TV · born 1974Jake Kasdanfilm and television director, producerDirector of the Jumanji films and Walk Hard, born in Detroit while his father, future screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, was writing ads for a local agency.
Film & TV · born 1983Jana Krameractress, country singerActress and country singer from Rochester Hills in metro Detroit, known for One Tree Hill and the top-ten country hits "Why Ya Wanna" and "I Got the Boy."
Music · born 1952Kim Kashkashianviolist, teacherDetroit-born Armenian-American violist, one of the world's leading players of her instrument and a Grammy winner for music by Hungarian composers.
Sports · born 1967Aaron Kricksteintennis playerAnn Arbor-born tennis pro who reached a career-high world No. 6 and still holds Michigan's high school record for consecutive match wins.
Film & TV · born 1988Alexander KochactorGrosse Pointe-raised actor who played the unstable Junior Rennie in the Stephen King adaptation Under the Dome.
Sports · born 1984Brad KeselowskiNASCAR driver and team ownerRochester Hills-born NASCAR champion who grew up in a Michigan racing family and has called winning at Michigan International Speedway more meaningful than winning the Daytona 500.
Film & TV · born 1976Page Kennedyactor, rapperDetroit-raised actor and rapper, U-Turn on Weeds and Radon Randell on Blue Mountain State, whose debut album features Detroit rappers.
Film & TV · born 1962John Knollvisual effects supervisor, co-creator of PhotoshopOscar-winning Industrial Light & Magic effects supervisor and co-creator of Adobe Photoshop, born and raised in Ann Arbor, where his brother wrote the first version.
Music · 1948–2024Wayne Kramerguitarist, songwriter, producerMC5 guitarist from the Downriver suburb of Lincoln Park whose band, the house band of the Grande Ballroom, recorded Kick Out the Jams live there in 1968.
Sports · born 1991Torey Krugice hockey defensemanRoyal Oak-born defenseman who came up through metro Detroit's competitive youth hockey system before an NCAA and NHL career built mostly around the Boston Bruins.
Politics · born 1970Kwame Kilpatrickpolitician, former mayor of DetroitDetroit-born politician who became the city's youngest mayor at 31 in 2002, but resigned in 2008 after a corruption scandal and later served federal prison time before a 2021 commutation.
Politics · 1945–2025Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrickteacher, politicianDetroit schoolteacher who served 18 years in the Michigan House and 14 in Congress (1997–2011), chaired the Congressional Black Caucus and was the mother of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Film & TV · 1932–2013Gail Kobeactress, television producerHamtramck-born daughter of Polish-American parents who acted in 1950s and 1960s television and later ran the soap operas Guiding Light and The Bold and the Beautiful as a producer.
Music · born 1953Earl Klughacoustic guitarist, composerDetroit-born acoustic guitarist, discovered as a teenager by Yusef Lateef, who learned at Baker's Keyboard Lounge and won a Grammy with Bob James.
Literature · born 1960Kathe Kojanovelist, short-story writer, theatre directorDetroit-born author of the Bram Stoker Award–winning horror novel The Cipher who still lives in metro Detroit and directs the immersive theatre company nerve.
Music · born 1974Uncle Krackersinger, songwriter, DJMount Clemens-born singer who started as Kid Rock's DJ in Twisted Brown Trucker and scored solo hits with “Follow Me” and “Drift Away”.
Law · 1924–2021Frank J. Kelleylawyer, Michigan attorney generalDetroit-born lawyer nicknamed 'the Eternal General,' who served as Michigan's attorney general for 37 years (1961–1999) and pioneered state consumer protection.
Theatre & dance · born 1985Andrew Keenan-Bolgerstage actor, web-series creatorDetroit-born Broadway actor, a Renaissance High School graduate, who originated Crutchie in Newsies and Jesse Tuck in Tuck Everlasting.
Theatre & dance · born 1978Celia Keenan-Bolgerstage actress, singerDetroit-born Broadway actress, trained at Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, who won a Tony as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird (2018).
Music · 1922–2026Phyllis Kinneysoprano, folk song collector, music historianPontiac-born soprano who sang with the Carl Rosa Opera, married into Welsh culture and became a leading authority on Welsh folk music.
Music · born 1938Bernie Krausemusician, synthesizer pioneer, soundscape ecologistDetroit-born musician who joined the folk group the Weavers, helped introduce the Moog synthesizer to pop music and later founded the science of soundscape ecology.
Law · 1922–2019Damon Keithfederal judge, civil rights lawyerDetroit-born federal judge whose rulings desegregated Pontiac schools, struck down warrantless wiretaps and declared that 'democracies die behind closed doors'; he served on the bench for over 50 years.
Business & brands · 1874–1952John H. Kunskymovie theater magnate, broadcasterDetroit-born son of Czech immigrants who built the city's first great chain of movie palaces, from nickelodeons to the Michigan and the Fisher, then co-founded WXYZ.
Music · born 1958Julian Kytastybandurist, kobzar, composer, singerDetroit-born bandurist from a family of Ukrainian refugee musicians, trained in the city's Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus, and a leading kobzar in the Western Hemisphere.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗